Water Budget Rates Riverside Residential

Details of your water budget appear on your monthly water bill. You can also receive your water budget information by contacting us at 951.571.7267 or adjustments@wmwd.com.

Western has taken numerous steps to make sure your water budget is accurate, but we need your help to make sure we got it exactly right. The details of your water budget appear on your monthly bill or can be obtained by contacting us at 951.571.7267 or adjustments@wmwd.com. Please use this form to request any necessary adjustments.

We can adjust your water budget to account for more residents in your home, more irrigated landscaping than we show, special medical equipment, horses or other large livestock, and other specific situations. Please use this form to request any necessary adjustments.

The process to adjust your water budget is very simple. All you have to do is fill out the water budget adjustment form and drop it in the mail, and we’ll do the rest.  Forms can also be faxed to 951.571.0591, emailed to adjustments@wmwd.com or delivered in person to the District’s administrative office.  If you’d like the District to re-send your water budget information, please contact us at 951.571.7267 or adjustments@wmwd.com.

Yes. We want to make sure every customer has a fair water budget that provides enough water to meet their actual needs, based on 60 gallons per permanent resident per day. If the number of people living in your home increases, please let us know by submitting an adjustment form, and we will adjust your water budget accordingly.

The adjustment policy accounts for horses by providing 30 gallons per animal per day for consumption, which is based on veterinary studies.  Through customer input and a local equine expert’s guidance, the structure also accounts of horses’ bathing and cool-down water needs by counting the stable and riding areas of your property as landscaping, which provides more than enough water to meet your horse’s total water needs.  Large dogs typically do not consume enough water to necessitate an increased water budget, as studies have found dogs of all sizes and activity levels typically drink less than one gallon of water per day.

Pools lose about as much water to evaporation as a lawn of the same size uses, so pools are accounted for as irrigated landscape in a customer’s water budget. Completely filling or refilling a pool for maintenance purposes, however, may push your use above your water budget and result in higher charges. Customers can request an adjustment to their water budget if this occurs.

It is highly unlikely short-term guests will cause you to go over your budget because our indoor water budget of 60 gallons per person per day is more than a typical individual needs.

Not Western.  Decades of studies have determined how much water the average individual uses each day and the irrigation needs of various types of landscapes.

If the leak takes your use above your water budget, there will be higher charges for the water used in excess of your water budget.  But if the leak is fixed in a reasonable amount of time, you will still pay for the amount of water used, but will be able to request a credit to offset any charges from the higher tiers.

Western has developed a recommended seasonal irrigation schedule based on historic weather patterns and the new rate structure’s water budgets. Additionally, if you have a smart sprinkler controller that receives daily ET (evapotranspiration) readings, it should automatically adjust your irrigation patterns based on weather and keep you within your outdoor water budget. Western offers rebates for smart irrigation controllers. Click here for details.

No. Water budgets are based on an efficient level of water use given your specific situation (number of residents, amount of landscaping, etc.), and do not take into consideration your prior use. We are not asking our already water-efficient customers to further cut their water use. Please be assured, efficiency measures that are already part of your lifestyle will help you stay within your water budget, resulting in lower water bills.

Unfortunately, rolling over water use from one month’s budget to the next doesn’t work for commodity-based utilities such as water.  That’s because Western incurs greater power and chemical costs during peak times of the year, such as the summer, and rolling over water budget credits will make it very difficult for the District to generate the necessary revenue at the time our power and chemical costs are due.

All Western customers will pay more per gallon in 2012 due to a series of five annual pass-through rate increases approved by the Board of Directors in 2010. The Water Budget Rate Structure ensures efficient customers pay the lowest available rates.

The impact on your bill will vary based upon how efficient you are with your water use. The only customers who may see significant increases in their water bills are those whose use exceeds their water budgets. (Click here to learn more). The District is working closely with those customers to help them reduce their water use and lower their water costs. The District currently has several programs to help customers become water-efficient and will continue to provide these water-wise incentives.

Tiers three, four and five are priced higher because the cost of supplying water at these inefficient and unsustainable levels is significantly higher. Only customers whose water use exceeds their water budgets are charged the higher tiered rates. Under the Water Budget Rate Structure, every customer receives an individualized water budget sufficient to meet their needs, which means that no matter the size of your household or yard, you should be able to remain within your water budget (Tiers 1 and 2) and pay the lowest available price. Western hopes the higher pricing gets the attention of the small number of customers who are wasting water and sends a clear economic signal that wasted water is much costlier water. The District works closely with those customers to help them reduce their water use and lower their water costs.

It’s unfortunate, but it’s the result of the higher price we must pay for water and energy.  Western purchases almost all of our water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water from Northern California and the Colorado River.  Metropolitan has dramatically raised its rates in recent years because supplies have been constricted by drought and regulations.  Southern California Edison has also significantly raised the cost of energy necessary to pump water to our disperse customer base.  Still, Water Budget Rates ensures efficient customers pay the lowest available rates. 

Water Budget Rates actually provide customers greater freedom. Customers are free to use their water budgets as they see fit, and the switch to Water Budget Rates makes unpopular watering restrictions unnecessary. If you’d rather water your lawn more and use less water elsewhere that’s fine. The amount of your water bill lets you know if you’re using more than your fair share of water, and if you are, it’ll be up to you to adjust your use as you deem necessary. The only time you have to provide the District with any additional information is if you want us to adjust your water budget based on your specific situation.

No. Every residential customer receives an individualized water budget based upon the number of residents in their home and amount of irrigated landscaping.  Check back soon for our online water budget calculator to view your customized water budget, or contact us at 951.571.7267 or adjustments@wmwd.com to be re-sent the details of your water budget.

Under Water Budget Rates, every customer receives a personalized water budget to meet their specific needs, which means that no matter the size of your yard you should be able to remain within your water budget (Tiers 1 and 2) with common efficiency measures, and receive the water you need at the lowest available price. Only customers who waste water are charged the higher rates.

Revenues generated from customers using water in excess of their water budget are used to develop programs to help all customers become more water-efficient and to acquire water necessary to meet this excessive demand. These efficiency program funds are not used for employee compensation or benefits. The purpose of Water Budget Rates is to help all customers achieve efficient water use – NOT to generate additional revenue.